Ritual Sorcery
(under review) Ritual Sorcery Ritual magic is the process of using more powerful magic by joining together with other mages. *Hermetics must perform ritual magic in a specially prepared arcane circle of some kind, shamans in a lodge, church or shrine dedicated to their totem, Houngan in a hounfour dedicated to the Loa, and so on. *This magic may take hours to perform, the energies slow to build. It may be done with nearly any kind of spell except for elemental manipulations. *To cast a spell upon a person, a "link" to them must be used. If the target is a person, a bit of genetic material such as a clump of hair or a blood sample will do; as will objects that are close to them such as a wedding ring, a childhood toy or the like. If the target is a place, a part of that place's structure must be used, such as a brick taken from a building (but not a picture hanging inside). (This isn't needed if the target/victim of the ritual is within view). *Alternatively, another mage who is part of the ritual can astrally project and allow the magic to be cast through the link between their body and their astral form (assuming they can locate and watch the person/place the spell is to be cast on). *Distance is not a factor, and only the ability to establish a link matters. The target of the spell can be anywhere on the planet. *Every member of the ritual will be drained appropriate to the spell they send through the ritual. Ritual Team At least two mages are required to perform ritual sorcery. *'Leader' **One mage within the team must be designated the 'leader'. All modifiers to the spell in terms of initiation grade, totem abilities, and centering can only be applied by the leader, assuming the leader is capable. *'Spotter' **The team can assign a spotter. This is a magician that astrally projects during the ritual in order to establish line of sight to a target where necessary. The spotter does not contribute his ability to the casting of the spell, yet still must know the spell and ''is still subject to the drain **Spotters may project after the ritual has started without leaving the team. If for any reason they are unable to sustain themselves in the astral, within target range, until the completion of the spell, the spell will fail. **Can NOT use magic to defend themselves if attacked. **Spirits may not be used as spotters, minus a few rare and powerful exceptions. *'All Members''' **Must know the spell being cast. **Must be using perception...The entire team is considered a single, dual-natured entity for the duration of the ritual. This means that the spotter can choose a physical target. **All spell defenses and sustained spells are dropped **An Elemental can assist in the ritual. Material Link If the leader cannot see the target or if a spotter cannot be used, the team can employ a 'Material Link' to the target. *For any person, the link may involve blood, hair, or any sample of DNA *In addition to the above, Awakened can be targeted through their foci, if the Ritual Team has it available. *If the target is a nonliving object, an integral ''piece of it must be available. (e.x. To target a building, you would need a brick from the building, not just any object inside of it) *The link may possibly take hours to perform. Sending Once the team is set up and the link is established, the team must 'send' the spell through the link. This is the part of the ritual where the energy is focused and directed at the target. *As with the material link, the Sending can possibly take hours to complete. *A character with the Perceptive trait that has no other distractions about them can feel a vague sense an 'imminent danger'. Magicians that have been the target of ritual sorcery before will recognize it as such. *Any Awakened that happen to be percieving at the time can assense the signature to learn about the spell before it strikes. '''Tracking' *An Awakened that assenses the signature will see a 'thread' leading from the target back to the ritual team. This thread can be tracked back to the team. *If located, the team can be attacked directly through the astral or (if time and logistics allow) physically. Astral Combat *The members of the ritual team can attempt to defend themselves in hand to hand combat. They cannot use magic skills or project however. *In order to defend the ritual, members may withdraw from the ritual. If this happens, the member suffers the drain effect as if the spell had been cast, as well as the Leader. If the Leader passes out or otherwise does not have enough left to cast the spell, then the ritual will fail. Result The spell takes effect at the end of the sending. *For every member of the team involved, grant an effective level of initiation to determine the strength of the spell. (ex. A ritual with 5 people will fire as if the Leader were 5 grades of initiation higher). *Area of Effect spells will only target people within line of sight of the Leader of Spotter at the end of the sending. *Detection spells in particular have their reach extended in special ways. **A Detect Individual spell will locate a person'' anywhere in the world.'' **A Clairvoyance spell cast at a building will allow the team to see anywhere within the building as if they were physically present. **A person that is a target of a beneficial spell will have the spell applied normally with the general magnitude effect (ex. A Detect Enemies spell at Grade 5 would allow a person to detect all hostile living things on the same half of the sim they are on) 'Sustaining Spells' *After the spell has been fired, the team does not need to remain assembled in order to sustain the spell. **This kind of active sustaining will still leave a visible trail leading back to each member of the team (but no longer the site of the ritual). **Members cannot use any other magic skills while the spell is still sustained in this manner. **If any one member stops sustaining the spell, it ends. *Alternatively, an Elemental may be used to sustain the spell for 3 hours. This costs a service and will 'exaust' the Elemental, leaving it in a weakened state for every hour it sustained. Ritual Tracking A ritual team does not have to cast a spell with a material link. Instead, they can all contribute their efforts toward tracking a target. This is particularly effective if there are obstacles preventing a target from being located easily. *The Ritual Team, Material Link, and Sending are assessed in the same fashion as per a spell that costs 3 drain. *Instead of casting a spell, however, ritual tracking instead simply sends an astral 'thread' leading directly to the target. This thread can be noticed and responded to in the same fashion as noticing a spell. *If the Leader passes out from drain due to members leaving, or if the members are attacked or interrupted in any other way, before a spotter can follow the thread to the target, the tracking will fail. *If successful, the entire team can attack the target if they are astrally present. If not, they can relay the exact physical location to mundane assets.